Brief History: A Virus
Timeline[Top]
Although the first computer virus dates back to 1986, viruses did not
receive national attention until two years later. On November 2, 1988,
Robert T. Morris, Jr. released the infamous "Internet Worm," forever changing
the public's perception of computer threats. While the worm did not contain
any code to change data or otherwise corrupt the systems it invaded, its
self-replication flooded many networks with an overload of traffic. This
worm temporarily disabled approximately six thousand computers, including
machines at NASA, some major universities, and a number of military bases.[1]
The public soon became aware of the potential that such attacks held for
mass electronic destruction, and "computer virus" quickly became a household
term.

In the years following
Morris' worm, the number of virus incidents began to rise dramatically.
Newer, more sophisticated viruses entered the scene and began to wreak
havoc in previously unforeseen ways. The Dark Avenger virus of 1989 represented
a major threat in that it was a "fast-infector," possessing the ability
to infect new files while anti-virus software was scanning a computer's
hard drive. The Frodo virus of the same year was the first virus to exhibit
full stealth capabilities so that it could hide from detection utilities
of the time. The turn of the decade marked the appearance of Virus Exchange
Bulletin Boards, a forum where virus writers could upload their own creations
and download other people's viruses. This added fuel to the growing swell
of viruses and enabled non-programmers to obtain malicious code without
having to write it themselves. Complex armoring and encryption techniques
emerged to thwart the anti-virus effort, generating buzzwords such as
"polymorphism" and "multipartite." The number of anti-virus products on
the market also began to rise around 1990, demonstrating that corporations
were starting to respond to the growing public concern about viruses.

A number of disturbing
trends characterized the next few years. In March of 1991, VCS v 1.0 was
"released" on the Internet. This stood for Virus Construction Set version
1.0, and the software allowed users to craft their own unique viruses
from a simple user interface. Although primitive, VCS paved the way for
other more powerful virus creation kits to make their way to the underground
Internet scene.[2] A media frenzy erupted in March
of 1992 in anticipation of the Michelangelo
virus. Anti-virus groups determined that this virus was scheduled to awaken
on March 6th, the birthday of the famous artist, and destroy all data
on any infected machine.[3] John McAfee, found
of the company that produces McAfee Antivirus, predicted that between
50,000 and 5 million computers might be infected.[4]
The media jumped on these figures, bringing the public to a near hysteria.
In reality, only about 20,000 systems were affected, and each subsequent
year the number dropped exponentially. Perhaps Michelangelo's greatest
impact was the mass media attention it received, encouraging virus authors
to continue their malicious endeavors in the hopes of making the front
page of Wired and other computer publications.

Computer threats
entered a new phase in 1995 with the introduction of macro viruses. The
first such virus was named "Concept," appropriately enough because it
represented a brand new way of infecting computers. Rather than target
the Microsoft Windows platform or the Mac Operating System, Concept attacked
the Microsoft Word platform by exploiting the power of WordBASIC, a special
programming language written just for Microsoft Word.[5]
This trend of targeting particular applications has continued to the present.
Among the primary dangers are Javascript viruses, which can attack users
with insecure web browsers, and the popular virus/worm hybrids that attack
major email applications. Happy99,
Melissa,
and LoveLetter
are all email-based viruses that have caused widespread damage to corporations
and individuals alike. LoveLetter and the recent Anna
Kournikova virus are interesting in that they represent a new breed
of "psychological" computer viruses, playing on people's weaknesses and
desires to launch the replication event. As we look ahead towards the
future of computer viruses, we will inevitably see unique types of viruses
coupled with artful methods of spreading.